


If I can't have you

by orphan_account



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Fili being very bad a flirting, Fluff, M/M, is it really unrequited though hmmmm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-22
Updated: 2013-05-22
Packaged: 2017-12-12 16:27:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/813607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fili has liked Ori for years<br/>Learning that Kili does too can only qualify as bad news.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If I can't have you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Alckalin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alckalin/gifts).



> oooold thing (from, say, more than a month ago?) that I wrote for Alcka and never posted because I lived with the illusion that I might write more of it one day.  
> I still have that illusion, or I'd have posted it in the prompt and ficlet thing  
> But let's be honest, the chances of me writing more of it are 0.000000001%

“Hey, Fee, why do you hate Ori so much?”

The question surprised Fili, who turned his gaze from the sword he was polishing and toward his little brother. Kili seemed sincerely curious, as well as a little nervous.

“I don't _hate_ him, why would you think that?”

“It's just what everyone thinks, is all.”

“Everyone? What do you mean everyone?”

“I mean all the people who know you and him. And that includes me, and Ori himself, 'cause he's really wondering what he did to annoy you that much.”

Fili starred blankly at his brother.

Ori thought he hated him?

“I don't hate him,” the blonde prince insisted. “Did I ever do anything to make it look like I hate him?”

“Well, you know...”

“No, I don't. Tell me.”

“For one thing, you're always bothering him when he's reading.”

“I just ask him what he's reading, that's not bothering!”

Kili threw him the dark look of one who knew exactly what it felt like to be interrupted by a curious idiot in the middle of a very good book.

“I refuse to answer that,” the younger prince grumbled, “but yeah, it totally is. And that's not all, you keep making fun of him because he's not a fighter...”

“Suggesting he trains with us isn't making fun!”

“... and you keep telling him to get out more and get a life.”

“I'm trying to make him come to town with us sometimes, how can this be _bad_! I'm trying to be _friendly_!”

“Yes, well, you're shite at it.”

Fili felt devastated. He didn't hate Ori. He was _so far_ from hating Ori. He had, in fact, had a terrible crush on him for years, hence his numerous attempts to get closer to the scholar. And he had realized that he wasn't very successful at it of course, but that had just encouraged him to try harder. He had been so sure that sooner or later, Ori would start liking him back and smile at him and talk to him, and then it'd be a matter of time until Fili could convince him to go somewhere private and...

“Look, I'm glad you do not hate him,” Kili said, looking strangely red all of a sudden. “Because I'm... he's a very good friend to me, you know, and I like him a whole lot, and it would have made me real sad if you had hated him.”

“When you say you... like him a lot... do you mean...”

“Just as a friend!” the younger prince exclaimed a little too quickly. “Nothing more! Mahal knows he's not interested in anything else, which is good because he's just my friend!”

“But...”

“Really!”

“Kee...”

“Just a friend!”

Fili did not insist.

But he had suspicions.

 

* * *

 

Suspicions that were quickly confirmed over the next few days, when for the first time he really gave attention to the way his brother and Ori where interacting. Kili had the worse puppy crush of all times and spent nearly all his free time around the young scholar who was training with Balin. The young prince just kept coming over to see what Ori was doing, never asking or saying a thing, just standing there and blushing like a shy maiden.

It would have been painful to watch, if Ori hadn't done the exact same thing, always finding new excuses to borrow ink from Kili, or watching him like he was the Arkenstone itself. And that wasn't painful.

That was _torture_.

Fili had liked Ori for years, and he had tried so hard to be friendly to him, to show his interest, only to encounter cold politeness. On the other hand, Kili, with nothing but a few bashful looks, had won over Ori. It wasn't fair. And Fili knew it was childish of him to think of such things in term of fairness, but he felt allowed to be less than mature about it, because it hurt more than anything should have hurt.

 

* * *

 

He watched them watching each other for about a month before he decided that he'd had enough of that situation. If he couldn't have Ori, then at least Kili should. And since the two young ones were too shy and stupid to make the first step, Fili decided it was his duty to help them.

It was easy enough to make sure that Kili was busy somewhere else. All he had to do was suggest to Dwalin that he was worried his little brother had trouble countering with a sword, and the warrior had only been too happy to help with that. You could always count on Dwalin, that was the good thing about him.

Once Kili was taken care of, Fili made sure that Balin wouldn't bother them (“I've heard Dori is having trouble with the plumbing”) and went to see Ori. The scholar was trying to copy as exactly as possible an illumination of some sort, and seeing this, the blond prince hesitated. According to what Kili had told him, interrupting people when they were writing, reading, or drawing, was rude and not fine and made them think you hated them. He didn't want to give Ori more reason to think he was antagonizing him, but at the same time he had only so long until Balin discovered he'd lied. So he stood there, wondering what he should do, until Ori raised his eyes from his parchment and looked at him.

“Can I help you?” the younger dwarf asked, sounding wary.

“Yes, you can actually. Well, I'm not the one who needs helps actually,” Fili explained. “And it's not exactly help as such, I'd say. It's entirely to your benefice, in fact.”

“Yes? What is it then?”

“Kili is in love with you,” the prince blurted out. “He's been for a while, I think. And I know you love him too. Hard to miss, really, you're always looking at him and smiling at him and you actually _talk_ to him, which is more than you do with most people. So I wanted you to know that it's okay. Go for it. He likes you too.”

“How do you know I watch him?” Ori asked, not even bothering with denying any of it. Which was. A good sign, probably?

“What?”

“I said, how can you know I'm always looking at him, as you say? Do you watch me or something? I know you don't like me much, but...”

Fili rolled his eyes, exasperated. “Why do you... I don't dislike you! Why does everyone think I hate you? I don't hate you, you dumb like scholar, I love...”

The prince pressed a hand against his mouth, horrified by what he had almost said, but it was too late. Ori stared at him with round eyes, his mouth open in shock.

“Forget I said that,” Fili begged him. “I know you like Kili, and he likes you back, that's what matters, and you should really talk to him about it.”

“But you...”

“I want you to be happy,” the prince declared, hoping he sounded less pathetic than he felt. “And I also want Kili to be happy. It's... it's a win-win situation, really. I'll get over it soon enough, and you two will be sickeningly cute together. Good for everyone. Perfect plan.”

Ori gave him a strange look, as if he were seeing him for the first time.

“Are you sure you are... okay with this?” he asked, sounding honestly worried about him.

“I'd never have talked to you today if I weren't, Ori. Look, it's... you've never noticed it before, and I've been shit at making you see it, so it's... it would never have worked, clearly. But Kili and you... well, that works. So talk to him, snog him, do something to him, _anything_ , and I hope the two of you will be very happy.”

“I'm sure we'll be,” Ori assured him. “And I hope you will be too. I... thank you. For helping. With this. I'd never have expected it from you.”

Fili gave him a weak smile, but didn't answer and left the room. Balin would soon be back, and by then, Kili must have discovered that he had gotten special training because of his brother. Better get away from everyone for a while, really.

And when, that evening, Kili told him that Ori had confessed to him, Fili almost didn't have to force a smile. He was just glad to see his brother so happy.


End file.
